Gettysburg College Top Questions

If possible get the full experience before you make your decision: tour, interview, sleepover. Make sure you see the campus when there are students around!

Don't get caught up on rankings. Spend time on campuses, take an overnight trip, do whatever it takes to immerse yourself. You're committing a lot of money for four years. Might as well be happy where it's being spent.

It is important, when considering a higher level of education beyond high school, to look ahead at what interests you most. Its okay if you don't know exactly what you want to do when you grow up, although it is important to have a grasp and understanding of particular talents and interests that collectively define you as an individual student. By weighing these particular talents or interests you must choose a college that has the tools necessary to sharpen these skills. If you are uncertain as to what you want to do, a liberal arts college is a positive direction for you to take. Most liberal arts colleges revolve around a curriculum of core classes that allow each student to get a taste for each field. It is also important to decide what kind of learning environment best suites you. Is it a small class room, in which you would rather learn? Is it important for you to build relationships with professors? Is the learning environment suitable to your overall needs? All of these questions are important ones to consider, however, the feeling of belonging that one gets when stepping foot on the "right" campus is the most important.

Get involved in as many things as possible. Meet as many people as possible and develop relationships.

Think about the student body before applying to college. A school may be perfect on paper, but it's the people that really make the college experience. If you're looking for an academic environment, don't go to a school that focuses more on the social scene, and vice versa

Be open minded for each school you visit; be sure to visit all your favorites. Overnight visits are better. Make lists of what you want out of each school; be honest. If a school doesn't have something you think is essential to your experience, consider taking it off your short-list. Once at your school, socialize! Meet different people; international students, students from other states and religions. Join clubs and organizations. Try to be as involved as you can. As for balancing classes and work with your social life, each person does that differently. Make friends with upperclassmen that can tell you what the workload is like for certain courses so you can plan you schedule accordingly. Don't do what I did and take three sciences and a language in your first semester, unless you're a science major and it's been deemed a sane undertaking by your advisor. Get to know your advisor; the more he/she knows you, the better he/she can help. Most of all, have fun. The process of choosing a school, preparing for the move, and settling into campus can be a lot, but it should be fun above all else.

Make sure that you have an overnight visit.

While I would love to impart the secret of college to the masses, I believe that chosing a college is a highly personal choice. The first step is to recognize what it is that you want out of a college. If you are not yet sure, visit a variety of schools for perspective student experiences to refine your ideas. Then, look for a school that has the right balance for you. The key thing to remember is that your choice of college should be yours and your alone. Just because your parents attended a school, your friend liked it, or greater society says that it is a good school, does not mean that that is the right school for you. Make your own decisions based on your own values, opinions, and experiences. Even if you can't afford your dream school, make sure you apply; you may recieve enough financial aid that you can afford to attend, especially if it is a private school where scholarship and grants are funded by wealthy alumni.

Look for that feeling that everyone says you'll get. If you don't find it, keep looking, and branch out from what you originally thought. Pick a school based on what matches who you, not who you want to be. Never settle, find the one.

Always keep an open mind when looking at schools. I'm a tour guide, and there are always those skeptical parents who twist around everything we say. Also, let your child make the first opinions about something. A perfect school is different for every student, and every child will not want to necessarily go to a school that parents think is best for them. Parents should stay back, and take in as much information as possible, but keep in mind that this is THEIR decision, and parents should not be influencing their opinions.